{"id":768,"date":"2026-10-15T20:21:28","date_gmt":"2026-10-16T03:21:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/labradorsandfriends.org\/blog\/?p=768"},"modified":"2026-10-15T20:26:47","modified_gmt":"2026-10-16T03:26:47","slug":"dottie-the-little-girl-who-defied-the-odds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/labradorsandfriends.org\/blog\/2026\/10\/15\/dottie-the-little-girl-who-defied-the-odds\/","title":{"rendered":"🌈 Dottie \u2014 The Little Girl Who Defied the Odds"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Some dogs leave pawprints on our hearts that never fade. Dottie was one of those dogs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Young<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In 2011, Labradors and Friends rescued a tiny, three-month-old puppy from a shelter. Both of her front legs were broken, and she desperately needed someone to believe her life was worth saving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanks to Dr. Hampel\u2019s remarkable surgical care at Animal Medical Center, Dottie received the treatment she needed. And thanks to two extraordinary foster moms, Brooke and Irene, she found something even more precious: a family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What was supposed to be a few weeks of fostering became a lifetime together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dottie grew into a spirited, fiercely loyal girl whose personality was every bit as unforgettable as her journey. From her mischievous puppy days to her adventures with her beloved pack, she lived a life filled with love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On October 5, 2026, Dottie crossed the Rainbow Bridge after a courageous battle with cancer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brooke and Irene have shared a beautiful tribute to their precious girl. We are honored to share their memories in their own words as we celebrate Dottie\u2019s incredible life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Brooke<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Dottie\u2019s Story \u2014 In Brooke and Irene\u2019s Words<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Dottie, <\/strong>Dec 2011 to October 5, 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Dottie was spotted by Labs & Friends at a kill shelter, the poor girl had both her front legs broken. An animal cruelty case, a vet said. We were only supposed to foster this 3-month-old for a few weeks while she recovered from the surgery to heal the broken bones. Her baby eyes undoubtedly melted our hearts at the first sight. Irene and I kept reminding each other a good home was out there for Dottie, because we already had 3 senior dogs over 60 lbs and our HOA only allowed 2 dogs per household. We eventually managed to form our wonderful pack of 4 dogs \u2013 Dottie, 2 other foster failures from Lab&Friends, and Julie, as we couldn\u2019t let go of the worry of this sweet girl encountering more hardship in her life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"White<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Dottie\u2019s Ballerina legs didn\u2019t dampen her curiosity a bit; she was just happy and crazy like any puppy \u2013 she chewed on staircases and window frames, she dug holes in the sofa, and she \u201cate\u201d my jeans and Julie\u2019s leather collar\u2026 After she got tired, she fell asleep like an angel or a frozen turkey?! Thank God that as Dottie grew up, her tastes changed \u2014 she loved steaks and anything milky \u2013 not cow-friendly for sure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Dottie<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Dottie gave people the most tender look one could imagine, but less gentle with dogs. We always wondered if she wished to be the only dog on Earth. However, she saw the pack\u2019s safety as her responsibility and hers alone. She guarded us and her sisters with her whole heart, even when she was very uncomfortable at the end of life. A funny story: when a skunk crossed Irene\u2019s path on a walk, Dottie jumped to stand between the skunk and Irene \u2014 while Julie, 7 years older and 20 lbs bigger than Dottie, hid behind Irene\u2019s back. Dottie taught us what it means for a family to always stand together. She fought fiercely with Nita the younger sister who we adopted when Dottie was 6 years old, but she also looked after Nita so Nita didn\u2019t feel scared when exploring new places.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thank you, Lauren and Labs & Friends, for pulling Dottie \u2014 a pit bull with two broken legs \u2014 out of that shelter, so Irene and I could have over 15 years of sweetness and tears to grow our souls with Dottie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Dottie<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Dottie, we knew you tried very hard to stay with us \u2013 a 3-week hard fight against the spreading cancer, when the vet said you probably had only days left. We will miss you dearly, but don\u2019t miss us. Run free now, no longer dragged down by those ballerina legs, and run happily over the rainbow bridge with Julie, GiGi, and LuLu. Our precious, sassy princess Dottie!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"Dottie<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Dottie<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Dottie,<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Dottie, forever loved. Forever part of the Labradors and Friends family. 🌈❤️<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rescued as a tiny puppy with two broken legs, Dottie went on to live nearly 15 wonderful years surrounded by love. Brooke and Irene share the unforgettable story of their beloved girl.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":774,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[135,131,99,134,133,66,68,132,98,124],"class_list":["post-768","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rainbow-bridge","tag-brooke-and-irene","tag-dottie","tag-forever-loved","tag-foster-love","tag-happy-life","tag-labradors-and-friends","tag-rainbow-bridge","tag-rescue-dog","tag-rescue-stories","tag-second-chances"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/labradorsandfriends.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/768","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/labradorsandfriends.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/labradorsandfriends.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/labradorsandfriends.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/labradorsandfriends.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=768"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/labradorsandfriends.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/768\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":782,"href":"https:\/\/labradorsandfriends.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/768\/revisions\/782"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/labradorsandfriends.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/774"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/labradorsandfriends.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=768"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/labradorsandfriends.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=768"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/labradorsandfriends.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=768"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}